Perth Amboy

Perth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey. The city was settled by Scottish colonists in 1683, and it was named for James Drummond, 4th Earl of Perth and the Lenape name "Ompoge", meaning "level ground". The town was formed by royal charter in 1718, and it became a city in 1844. From 1686 to 1776, Perth Amboy served as the capital of New Jersey, and immigration and industrialization began to change the city after the mid-19th century. The city was a resort town in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and the historic waterfront, one of the most prominent features of the city, underwent revitalization. The city's population is predominantly Hispanic, with Hall Avenue being a notable center of Puerto Rican culture, the Southwest being home to much of the city's Mexican population (having formerly been a predominantly Irish, Polish, and Hungarian area called "Dublin"), the West being an overwhelmingly blue-collar Dominican neighborhood, State Street having a huge Cuban population, Amboy Avenue having a predominantly Hispanic population (formerly a large Italian one), Maurer having a quasi-suburban character, and Spa Springs being an attractive middle-class area. In 2016, Perth Amboy had a population of 52,499 people.